News
Minnesota misses chance for redemption
Twins have no luck vs. Yanks in '09, falling in all seven games
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
07/09/09 7:38 PM ET
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins seemed so eager when their three-game series against the Yankees began this week at the Metrodome. After all, this was their chance to avenge that four-game sweep in New York back in May, during which they had endured three walk-off losses. Instead, this set turned into more of the same heartbreak against a team that's provided so much to Minnesota in recent years. The Twins never led in any of the three games against the Yankees, including Thursday's 6-4 loss in the finale, as they suffered their first series sweep at home this season. It also completed New York's first season series sweep over Minnesota since 2003. But despite their record this season against the Yankees and the fact that they've dropped 18 of their past 24 contests to the club, the Twins aren't ready to say that they have a mental block against the Bombers. "It's not a mental block, they just outplayed us," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I think if you witnessed games in Yankee Stadium, we had a chance to win. It's not a mental block, it's one base hit. We were short one base hit in about three to four games there. They are just hot." The Yankees were particularly hot against the Twins' starting pitchers, who were all forced out early in their starts during the three-game series. On Thursday, Francisco Liriano made it through just 5 1/3 innings, giving up six runs (three earned) on seven hits. The patient, veteran lineup of the Yankees forced Liriano to throw 55 pitches to get through two innings. That came after they made Scott Baker throw 57 pitches in his first two frames on Tuesday night. It was in the second when Liriano found most of his trouble, giving up three runs. He began the inning by walking Alex Rodriguez and hitting Jorge Posada with a pitch. A fielding error by second baseman Matt Tolbert on a potential double-play ball that Robinson Cano chopped up the middle loaded the bases. "It's definitely a ball where you've got to get one out at least," Tolbert said. "I must have taken my eye off it for a second. It kind of was a broken bat. I just took my eye off of it." But Liriano didn't help himself after the error. He got Cody Ransom, who was batting .177 entering the contest, behind in an 0-2 count before walking him to force one run in and allowing the Yankees to take a 1-0 lead. "I should have made some better pitches in that inning," Liriano said. "I walked too many guys. ... I should have made better pitches -- just too many pitches." Four of the Yankees' six runs on Thursday were driven in by the club's Nos. 7-9 hitters, including two by Ransom. Over the three-game series, the bottom of New York's order went 13-for-34 (.382) with 13 RBIs. Liriano then allowed a solo home run to Mark Teixeira in the fifth, an inning in which he struck out the side. It snapped Teixeira's streak of 95 at-bats without a homer, making it a 6-4 Yankees lead. "We were behind in every game, and when you're battling back like that, it makes it tough," Gardenhire said. "They don't really give up too much." The first two games of the series, the Twins' bats were held quiet, not surprisingly, by the Yankees' Nos. 1 and 2 starters, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. On Thursday, it was the Bombers' bullpen that found a way to shut the Twins down. Yankees reliever Alfredo Aceves got the spot start for New York after Chien-Ming Wang went down with an injury. He pitched 3 1/3 innings and gave up four runs -- two of which were charged to him after David Robertson issued back-to-back walks to Denard Span and Tolbert with the bases loaded in the fourth. Those were the only blips on the day for New York's relievers. Otherwise, they held Minnesota to just two hits and did not allow a run over the final 5 2/3 innings. "I like how their bullpen looks, it's pretty tough," said Jason Kubel, who hit his 14th homer of the season in the second. "The lefty, [Phil Coke], I can't even touch the ball off him. He's tough." So once again it was yet another close loss for Minnesota against those guys from the Bronx. Six of the Twins' seven losses to the Yankees this season were by a combined total of eight runs. They lost two by two runs and four by one run. "It's pretty amazing how close the games were," Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "And we were fortunate to win all of them. I'm very happy." The Twins are now just 6-18 vs. the American League East this season, and all four series sweeps they've suffered have come against a team from the division. But perhaps this latest series loss was the toughest to take, considering that Minnesota felt it didn't play the kind of baseball it needed to win. "Obviously, any time you play the Yankees, you look at it as a test," catcher Mike Redmond said. "We're just not there yet. Everybody on this team realizes, 'Hey, we've still got a lot of work to do.' If we want to compete with the best teams in this league, we've got to keep working and keep grinding it out. We're not there yet." The Twins will go from facing one hot team to another when they host the White Sox for the final three games before the All-Star break. "I think we were charged up going into this series, but it didn't work out," Gardenhire said. "We have to go out and perform, and we didn't perform very well here against this team. The White Sox are playing very good baseball. If we go out and play like we did against the Yankees, we'll probably get our butts kicked here at home again, and that's not too much fun. "You have to make things happen and you have to create havoc. We didn't do much of that this whole series. They pretty much dominated us -- at home -- and that's not supposed to happen. It did, so now we'll have to turn the page."Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
